Who Cares About the City Budget?

I don't know about you, but I find it hard to digest and
remember information when it's just a fact standing on its own. For example,
the City of La
Mesa's reserve fund is five percent of its operating budget. So what? Is that good or bad?

But if you tell me La Mesa has the smallest reserve fund of any of
the 18 cities in the county, that puts it in context. And if you tell me the City of San Diego has the second smallest reserve fund in the county, I understand that it's in bad shape,
but also that it isn't the worst in terms of how much money it's set aside for a rainy
day.

That's what I aim to do by comparing cities here in
San Diego
County. Most of us are way
too busy to keep track of our local government finances. Heck, it's hard enough
to keep up with what Obama is doing this week. But I believe the financial
health of our hometowns is important to our quality of life. Especially in times like these when
budgets are being squeezed
. It's in times of stress that
you see the cracks.

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